Since last week’s US Supreme Court decision, angry battles are raging between religious freedom and women’s rights. We’ll hear how it’s playing out in state legislatures, Congress, the fight over Obamacare and the November elections.

FROM THIS EPISODE

Since last week’s US Supreme Court decision, angry battles are raging between religious freedom and women’s rights. Lawsuits by hundreds of corporations claim insurance coverage for contraception violates their beliefs—even if they don’t have to pay for it. Women’s groups—and Senate Democrats—counter that no boss should be able to tell a female employee how to protect her own body or plan a family. We’ll hear how it’s playing out in state legislatures, Congress, the fight over Obamacare and the November elections.

Also, fighting escalates in the struggle between Israel and Hamas, and how Brazil is handling the "shame of all shames" after its 7-1 World Cup loss.

Banner Image: Demonstrators in support of abortion and contraceptive rights read on their mobile phones as the ruling for Hobby Lobby against their cause was announced outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington June 30, 2014. The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday ruled that business owners can object on religious grounds to a provision of U.S. President Barack Obama's healthcare law that requires closely held companies to provide health insurance that covers birth control. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Rockets from the Gaza strip are landing uncomfortably close to Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, and Israel is continuing retaliatory air strikes. Since Monday, two Israelis have been wounded; at least 29 Palestinians have been killed, possibly including 8 children. Steven Erlanger is London Bureau Chief for the New York Times, currently on assignment in Jerusalem.

The Supreme Court majority said the Hobby Lobby decision would be “narrow” in scope and not very disruptive. The dissenters said the court was stepping into a “minefield.” Since last week’s ruling came down, it appears that the mines are exploding—in courts, state legislatures and especially in Congress.

Brazilians were weeping after yesterday’s 7 to 1 semi-final game in the World Cup. As Germany goes on to the final, Brazilian newspapers are headlining “the most shameful moment in history… the shame of shames.” Laurent Dubois is editor of the Soccer Politics Blog, a Professor at Duke University and author of Haiti: The Aftershocks of History and Soccer Empire: The World Cup and the Future of France.